CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2019-1596 — Cisco Nx-Os security vulnerability

High CVSS 7.8

A vulnerability in the Bash shell implementation for Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to escalate their privilege level to root. The attacker must authenticate with valid user credentials. The vulnerability is due to incorrect permissions of a system executable. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to the device and entering a crafted command at the Bash prompt. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to escalate their privilege level to root. Nexus 3000 Series Switches are affected in versions prior to 7.0(3)I7(4). Nexus 3500 Platform Switches are affected in versions prior to 7.0(3)I7(4). Nexus 3600 Platform Switches are affected in versions prior to 7.0(3)F3(5). Nexus 9000 Series Switches in Standalone NX-OS Mode are affected in versions prior to 7.0(3)I7(4). Nexus 9500 R-Series Line Cards and Fabric Modules are affected in versions prior to 7.0(3)F3(5).

Severity
High
CVSS
7.8 (3.1)
Published
2019-03-07
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
operating-system
Weaknesses
CWE-264, CWE-732

Affected products

  • cisco / nx-os

Showing 1 representative product identities from 7 source matches. Confirm exact affected versions with the linked vendor and NVD evidence.

Matched remediation archetype

Privilege escalation and unsafe privilege management

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Check exposure

  • Map service accounts, operating-system identities, roles, capabilities, impersonation, set-user transitions, and administrative helper paths.
  • Determine whether untrusted users or lower-privilege processes can reach the affected transition or modify inputs it trusts.
  • Review file, socket, registry, device, job, container, and cloud-role permissions used before and after privilege changes.

Remediate safely

  • Apply the supported fix and redesign privileged operations as a minimal, authenticated, allowlisted interface.
  • Drop privileges before processing untrusted input, verify the drop succeeds, and remove unnecessary roles, capabilities, and write permissions.
  • Validate ownership and permissions at time of use and add explicit lower-to-higher privilege boundary tests.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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